Emotionless

Propped up on the pool table, I smiled over at Johnny who I’d known since I was little and waved at him. The big, burly man with a mousy brown pony tail at the nape of his neck and a chubby, rounded face smiled back with a wavy of his sausage fingers. He was the only man I could trust. He was pretty much like a replacement for my father. The rounded man told Carlene, the nearest barmaid, to mind the bar before sliding under the little hatch and swaggering over to me with the brightest smile I’ve seen. I took another sip of my drink, patting the spot next to me on the pool table as if to ask him to sit next to me.

“What’s up, Hannibal?” Johnny asked with a grin, leaning on the table beside me. I giggled at the nickname, tilting my head towards Molly and Matt who were flirting like it was going out of fuckin’ fashion. Johnny rolled his blue-brown eyes. They were technically blue, with deep, rich brown circling around the outside and slowly seeping inwards. He told me it was because he had a twin brother that died when his mother was still pregnant with them. “Awe, jealous, much?”

“No, I just don’t want my buddy to get hurt,” I muttered with a blush, looking away from him. Johnny chuckled, slapping me on the back and causing me to choke on my beer. Zacky looked up from the table where he was talking with Brian, a concerned look on his face. I shot Johnny a glower, watching him wave Zacky over. “I really, really hate you at times. And this is one of them!”

Zacky stood from the chair he was perched on, strolling over to Johnny and me casually as I looked down into the beer bottle. It seemed half empty, but that didn’t put me off sneaking away to grab another one from behind the bar. I worked here, so it was cool if I went down to the cellar and killed myself before Zacky could talk to me. I didn’t like the way he gave me butterflies or caused my heartbeat to accelerate whenever he looked my way or made me blush when he smiled.

“Kiwi, what are you doing under the counter?” Alex asked with a stupid grin, crouching down to see me hiding from Johnny and Zacky with a bottle of Jack Daniels I’d stolen. I smiled innocently, shrugging as I took a gulp of whiskey. Alex rolled his eyes, about to open his mouth to ask Johnny why I was under the counter when I pulled him down to join me by the scruff of his shirt. “Whoa, if you’re that horny we could go down to the cellar.” I shot Alex a glower which caused him to chuckle.

“Shut the fuck up or Johnny’ll find me!” I hissed. Johnny thought I’d gone down to the cellar to grab another barrel for the tap seeing as Carlene wasn’t strong enough to and she was pregnant. Yeah, pregnant lady working in a bar, wonderful combination! Alex chuckled, holding his hand out for the Jack as I glared and cradled it away from him. “No, my booze,” I whined in a childish voice. Alex was about to crawl out and call for Johnny when I pulled him back and gave him the bottle.

“So… how’s life?” Alex asked when he sat back with a sweet smile. I rolled my eyes, punching him in the chest with a hiss before grabbing my bottle back. Sure, he was a friend, but I never let him know what I was feeling. That was reserved for me and only me. There were huge footsteps being taken in front of us with feet leading to long, tree-trunk like legs which probably led to a smirking Johnny. I squeaked.

“What’s up with you? The guys are perfectly nice,” Johnny asked with a slight frown as he bent down to see Alex and I sat under the counter. Alex crawled out from next to me, muttering that I was on my own before returning to work. I flipped him off behind his back and smiled innocently at Johnny. “Come on, Zacky’s challenged you to a game of pool. He doesn’t know that you’re the champ.” Damn him! Johnny knew I couldn’t resist a challenge.

Using his hand that he had extended towards me, I pulled myself from under the counter and noticed Zacky setting up a game. He waved with a wiggle of his fingers, causing me to blush again as I waved back. Mentally and physically pinching myself, I let Johnny push me towards the pool table. I made him promise to bring me a huge fucking cocktail if I was going to damn stay working at the bar. Johnny chuckled, saying that he’d do that if I did a shift tomorrow. I shrugged, remembering that it was Sunday tomorrow.

“Hiding from a challenge?” Zacky asked with a smirk, holding out a pool cue. I snatched the length of wood, sticking my pierced tongue out at him before taking off my hat and throwing it to Pippa. It slapped her in the face and caused her to glare at my innocent face as I pulled my hair into a hair bobble and Zacky took the triangle away from the balls. “Ohhh, the hat is off.” I raised an eyebrow threateningly, lining up the cue to hit the white ball. I smiled, lifting my eyes from the balls for a moment to see Zacky watching with intent, curious green eyes. And then I brought the cue back and snapped it forwards in a fluid movement…